How much do you love nature? Do you adore animals? Do you like spending time in the great outdoors? You can express yourself with these easy, step-by-step nature drawing tutorials for kids.
Many people love animals, and you will likely find some of your favorites here - fish, apes, reptiles, birds, farm animals, big cats, wild mammals, and pets, to name a few.
Maybe you like spending time in a backyard garden. You can dream and plan when you sketch fruit trees, rose bushes, flowers, and more. If you can't keep houseplants alive, don't worry! The plants you sketch will never wilt.
Perhaps you like to go hiking and exploring, seeing the natural world with your own eyes. You can immortalize your greatest adventures when you learn how to draw mountains, vibrant coral reefs, deserts, tropical islands, and the wide, open sky up above. You can set the scene from somewhere you've been or a place from your bucket list.
You don't need any special gear, such as a camera or binoculars, to make a record of the beauty of nature. All you need is a pencil and a sheet of paper. Pick one of the drawing guides below and get started.
51 Easy Nature Drawing Ideas
Easy Fish
This simple fish will help you learn the basics - body shape, scales, and fins. Then, you can use your skills to draw any type of fish you want.
Rocks
Rocks may seem pretty ordinary, but they are literally the cornerstone of every natural environment. From the bottom of the ocean to the top of the highest mountain, rocks are a part of the ecosystem.
Orangutan
Orangutans are elusive forest dwellers from a faraway land. If you're lucky, you might see one in a zoo or even in the wild. Now that's something for your bucket list.
Grass
Like the rocks above, the grass seems ubiquitous - it seems to be everywhere. That is why it is such an important part of nature. It forms the basis of many food chains.
Pond
Peaceful ponds are sought by many nature lovers. This one has cattails and water lilies, frogs, dragonflies, and fish.
Mango Tree
Mango trees grow in tropical places. This one is laden with huge teardrop-shaped fruits.
Cartoon Crocodile Drawing
Don't shed any crocodile tears - this smiling cross is happy to see you! Crocodiles are ancient reptiles that haven't changed. Learn to draw their age-old shape.
Vines
You will find many types of vines when you walk in nature. When they are cultivated in a garden like this one, they need wooden trellises for support.
Easy Cartoon Sheep
This cute, fluffy sheep looks like a cloud with a face. Draw its wooly body, head, and tail, with its face, ears, and legs below.
Ocean
Oceans cover more than 70 percent of our planet - that's a lot of nature. You can draw a sliver of the ocean when you sketch this tropical island scene.
Grapes
Did you draw the trailing vine above? When it grows up, it might produce grapes like these. You will have fun drawing the many circles that form the bunch of grapes.
Heron
This detailed portrait of this large water bird shows its feathery texture, its long, snakelike neck, and its stilt-like legs.
Cartoon Sunflower
Sunflowers invoke positive emotions with their bright, sunny colors. This one is even more apt to do so with its smiling face.
Scenery
Have you ever stayed in a cabin or canoed on a river? Whether you have or you're just dreaming of it, you can sketch this peaceful nature scene.
Chimpanzee
If you enjoyed the orangutan above, you will love this lifelike chimpanzee. Its body has a furry texture and its face is calm and curious.
Papaya Tree
Take a tour of the tropics with the wonderful fruit trees on this list. If you liked the mango tree above, check out this papaya tree. It has a trunk and leaves similar to a palm tree.
Magpie
Magpies are striking due to their black-and-white coloration. They are also known for being very smart. You don't have to be top of the class to draw this realistic bird. All you have to do is follow the steps.
Jungle
Have you been exploring the tropics through these drawings? The adventure continues with this jungle scene. There's a waterfall and a river, a tropical forest, and mountains in the distance.
Cute Animals
Animals are one of the best parts of nature. This collection of cute baby animals is diverse, from almost every continent. Draw the fox, elephant, and bear.
Swamp
You might find this wetland peaceful and inviting or creepy and foreboding. Either way, you can sketch the trees, water, lily pads, and frogs.
Buttercup
These wildflowers are native to every continent except Antarctica. Draw this simple flower that may follow you in every walk with nature.
Easy Realistic Goldfish
Aquariums help you bring nature home with you. Sketch this goldfish and give him a nice place to live.
Cartoon Apple
Apples originated in the Asian country of Kazakhstan, but today they are grown around the world. You might find one on your nature walk, and they make a great hiking snack!
The Sky
No matter where you explore, you will always have the sky above you. Sketch this sky full of clouds and a flock of birds.
Easy Cartoon Puppy
You may not think of your pet puppy as being part of nature, but he is. Sketch this cute puppy. He looks ready to learn and play.
Avocado
It's not uncommon to personify nature. Here, half an avocado has a smiling face and eyelashes.
Easy Clownfish
Sometimes, movies make us more aware of nature. Finding Nemo taught many people about the clownfish. Can you add this drawing to the coral reef, below?
Seaweed
Did you draw the goldfish, above? Draw this seaweed and shells inside his fishbowl to decorate it and give him a place to hide.
Sunset
Sunrises and sunsets may be nature's greatest masterpieces. You can create a masterpiece, too - islands, a palm tree, and birds silhouetted in front of the sunset.
Penguin Chick
If you like Happy Feet, you'll love drawing this adorable, fluffy emperor penguin chick. Penguins aren't just cartoon characters. They are a part of nature, too.
Easy Reflection Drawing - Mountain Landscape
Have you ever seen mountains reflecting on a crystal clear lake? You can draw just such a scene. Can you tell the difference when you turn it upside down? Hint: The lake image is wavy!
Easy Cartoon Palm Tree
Several of the scenes above have included palm trees. Now, you can focus on drawing the tree itself. This one even has a crop of ripe coconuts.
Cactus
Unlike grass and trees, cacti don't grow everywhere. These saguaro cacti need a specific desert environment, and many people travel to national parks to see them.
Cartoon Flamingo
Did you draw the heron above? The flamingo has a similar body shape, with long legs and a snakelike neck. What differences do you see in the shapes of the beaks?
Lake
Your dream vacation is only a sketch away. Draw this peaceful lake surrounded by a forest and mountains, or check out another scene in this list.
Mountains
These mountains are snow-capped. At their base is a forest of pine trees and a lake or river.
Baboon
Did you know? The orangutan and chimpanzee above are apes, but the baboon is a monkey. Even though it is large like the others, it has a long tail.
Cute Cartoon Cheetah
Africa is known for its animals, especially its big cats. This adorable cheetah cub will grow up to be the fastest land animal on Earth.
Coral Reef
You may have drawn fish and seaweed from the list above. Can you put them together with the underwater elements in this scene, including coral, sponges, starfish, and jellyfish?
Hill
If you've been working your way through this list, you've drawn a lot of mountains by now. Hills aren't as big as mountains, but they can be just as impressive.
River
If nature is taken as a whole, rivers are like the blood vessels that deliver moisture and nutrients. Draw this river with its surrounding rocks and mountains.
Bird of Paradise Flower
Nature holds lots of amazing secrets, like this flower whose petals resemble a tropical bird. Can you see the similarities?
Coconut
Did you draw the coconut palm above? Now, you can focus on drawing its fruit. Draw two hairy coconuts as well as one that has been cut open to reveal the sweet flesh inside.
Tree Branch
Can you see the forest for the trees? This branch is just one small part of a single tree. Notice its branching twigs and leaves.
Wild Flower
Wildflowers are essential and they help make nature beautiful. These flowers may not look like much but imagine an entire meadow of them growing together.
Wild Rose
Wild roses don't look like the ones from the florist. These simple flowers have five petals growing around a fuzzy center.
Cartoon Sea Otter
There are many wild and wonderful animals out there. This sea otter, for instance, isn't just insanely cute. It's smart, too - it uses rocks as tools to open the shells of animals it eats.
Orange Tree
If you've been planting an orchard of fruit tree sketches, you're not done yet. Draw this vibrant tree full of round oranges. Then check out the guava below.
Guava Tree
Have you ever tasted a guava? Not everyone has. Draw this tree and then look for the fruit on your next vacation or grocery run.
Bald Eagle Flying
Seeing a bald eagle in flight may be the pinnacle of enjoying nature in North America. You can draw this majestic bird of prey.
Orange
If you drew the orange tree above, the fruits may have been simple circles. Now you can learn to draw the details - the texture of the peel and the wedge shapes of the flesh inside.
See a Google Web Story of this Nature Drawing Ideas Blog Post.